Machine for manufacturing lids for multiple boxes



May 16, 1944.

s. E. STILWELL ET AL MACHINE FOR MANUFACTURING LIDS FOR MULTIPLE'BOXES Filed April 3, 1940 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 um w v H mum N fi N5 0 wa r 0 WWI. 4 mm u a ma May 16, 1 e. E. STILWELL ETAL MACHINE FOR MANUFACTURING LIDS FOR MULTIPLE BOXES Filed April 3, 1940 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 GLEN/V M y 16, 1944. G. E. STILWELI. Em. 2,349,205

MACHINE FOR MANUFACTURING LIDS FOR MULTIPLE BOXES 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed April 5, 1940 y 19440 G. E. STILWELL ET AL 2,349,205

MACHINE FOR MANUFACTURING LIDS FOR MULTIPLE BOXES Filed April 3, 194 5 Sheets-Sheet -4 48 6ZEAWE. ar/uvz-u amqw drive v6) M y 1944- G. E. STILWELL ETAL 2,349,205

MACHINE FOR MANUFACTURING LIDS FOR MULTIPLE BOXES Filed April :5, 1940 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 Patented May 16, 194 .1.

MACHINE FOR MANUFACTURING LIDS Fon MULTIPLE BOXES Glenn E. Stilwell and Gerald G. Paxton, Riverside,

Calif., assignors to Food Machinery Corporation, San Jose, Calif., a corporation of Delaware Application April 3, 1940, Serial No. 327,580

'1 Claim.

This invention relates to the art of lid manufacturing and is particularly useful in producing lids adapted for lidding multiple boxes.

Such lids are preferably unitary so as to cover all the individual unit containers of a multiple box with a single lidding operation, but must be weakened along the lines dividing said containers so that when said boxes are disassembled into their respective containers the lid is readily divided up into portions each of which provides an applied cover for one of said unit containers.

It is an object of this invention to provide a novel machine for manufacturing said lids.

The lids aforesaid are relatively fragile when manufactured and are not adapted to be handled much prior to their being used in the lidding of a multiple box.

It is another object of this invention to provide such a machine for manufacturing lids for multiple boxes by which said lids may be produced readily as they are used in the lidding of such boxes.

The manner of accomplishing the foregoing objects as well as further objects and advantages will be taken in connection with the accompany- .ing drawings, in which:

Fig. l is a cross-sectional view of a preferred embodiment of the machine of this invention.

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of a lid blank as it appears when inserted into the aforesaid machine.

Fig. 3 is a horizontal sectional view taken on the line 33 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a horizontal sectional view taken on the line 54 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 5 is an enlarged vertical sectional view taken on the line 5-5 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 6 is an enlarged detail sectional view taken on the line 66 of Fig. 5 and illustrating the adjustable saw control cam.

Fig. 7 is a detail cross-sectional view taken on the line 7-1 of Fig. 6.

Figs. 8 to 12 are enlarged, diagrammatic sectional views showing the following steps of operation of the machine:

Fig. 8 shows a lid being conveyed toward the saw;

Fig. 9 shows the saw cutting the first slat of the lid without cutting the cleat;

Fig. 10 illustrates the saw just as it is raised to cut through the cleat;

Fig. 11 shows the relative positions of the saw and lid just before the saw is lowered below the level of the cleat; and

Fig. 12 shows the final step in the cycle of operation in which the last slat is severed and the cleats are pinched.

Fig. 13 is a perspective view similar to Fig. 2 but showing the lid as it appears after being operated on by the machineof this invention.

Fig. 14 is a perspective view illustrating the lid produced by the machine of our invention as this appears when applied to a multiple box.

The preferred embodiment of our invention illustrated in the drawings, comprises a machine ID having a housing ll which is supported on legs I2. The housing H has a lower floor 13, side walls M, front and rear doors i5 and I5, and an operating floor ll.

As shown in Fig. 4, the floor i! does not extend entirely across the housing H and is supported at its opposite ends on angle irons I8, the

latter being fixed to the front and rear walls of the inner face of the housing H. Fixed to the angle irons l8 and supported thereon for lateral adjustment, are angle irons I9 and 20, these angle irons supporting lid magazine side walls 2| and 22 having forward stop flanges 23. The floor I! and walls 21 and 22 unite to form a lid magazine 24. The rear of the machine H! is open for the introduction of blank lids 25 into the magazine 24 and spring-hinged sidegates 26 yield to permit the insertion of such lids into the magazine and then spring inwardly to prevent the accidental removal of such lids. Provided in the floor I! for a purpose to be made clear hereinafter, are holes 28 and 29.

Extending across the housing ll above the floor I1 and with its opposite ends secured by cap screws to the walls 14 is a shaft 30 (see Figs. 1 and 4) having suspended thereon a lid-depressing shoe 3| which is spring-pressed downwardly by a leaf spring 32, the vertical position of this shoe being adjustable by screws 33. The bottom face of the shoe 3| is hollowed out longitudinally thereof, for a purpose which will be made clear hereinafter.

Extending from one side of the housing II to the other across the front end thereof, just above the floor I7, is a channel member 34 upon which is mounted a series of leaf springs 35 which extend rearwardly parallel to the floor, and then upwardly for the purpose of guiding a lid travelling over said floor. Formed in the housing H beneath the channel iron 3% is a lid discharge mouth 36, the housing having lid-supporting arms 3'1 extending outwardly therefrom just beneath said mouth.

Journalled in suitable bearings and 46 mounted on the housing side walls l4 (see Figs. 1 and 5) are heavy shafts l! and 48, these shafts having fixed thereto gears 49 which mesh to cause the shafts 41 and 48 to rotate at all times, synchronously in opposite directions at a 1-to-1 ratio.

Fixed on the shafts 41 and 48 are end pincer jaws 55 and central pincer jaws 56, these jaws being so arranged as to come into directly opposite pinching relation in pairs for a purpose which will be made clear hereinafter. When the jaws 56 thus come into pinching relation the lower jaw 56 extends upwardly through the hole 39 in the floor l1.

Fixed on the shaft 48 are sprockets 57. Chains 58 are trained around these sprockets and sprockets 60 which idle on a shaft M at the rear ofthe machine so that the upper flights of chains I 58 travel on tracks 58a. (as seen in Fig. 3) to maintain these flights n the same level as that of the floor l1. These chains are provided with lid feeding lugs 62.

Also fixed on the shaft 48 is a jack chain sprocket 63, a chain 64 being trained about this sprocket and about a jack pinion sprocket 65 mounted on a jack shaft 65, the latter being journalled in bearings 6'! on the housing walls I4. The pinion sprocket 65 is formed integral with a sprocket G8 which is connected by an endless chain 69 to the drive pinion 13 of a motor N, this being mounted onthe bottom face of the floor I i. This motor embodies suitable gear mechanism which causes the pinion "iii to rotate at a relatively slow rate. The motor H has a high speed drive pulley 72 at its opposite end.

Also fixed on the shaft 48, as seen in Figs. 6 and '7, is a cam base having a cam 76' adjustably fixed on said base, the purpose of this cam being made clear hereinafter.

Suitably journalled in bearing provided on the floor H, as shown in Fig. 3, is a shaft 11 having fixed thereon an arm structure T8 carrying a bearing 79 on which a cam arm 80' is adjustably mounted by bolts 8|, said arm carrying a cam following roller 82. Connected at one end to the structure and at its other end tothe floor I! is a contractile spring 83 which continually urges the structure it upwardly so as to bring the cam following roller 82 into contact with the adjustable cam 76.

Journalled in the bearing 19 is a shaft 35 having a pulley 86 at one end thereof which is in alignment with the motor pulley 12' and connected to this by a belt 81. On the other end of' the shaft 85- is mounted a disc saw 88, this saw being disposed just below the opening 28 in the floor i"! and the hollowed shoe. 3!;

Fixed on an endof the shaft i! is an' aim ill the upper end of this arm being connected by a link 9| (see Fig. 4') to a flushing lever 52 which is disposed opposite a, suitable openingprovided in the magazine side 22 so that when said shaft ll is rotated to depress the disc saw 8'8'the lever 92 will be swung to flush the lowermost lid 25 in the magazine 24 against the opposite wall 21 thereof.

Fixed upon the angle irons it and 2t and extending inwardly therefrom, asshown in Figs. 4 and 5, are guides 93 and 94,- each being disposed at such a level as to hold' down the ends of any lids 25 fed forwardly from themagazine 24. Spring-pressed guide arms 55 are provided on the angle iron so as to extend through apertures therein beneath the-guideledge- 9:3 to assist in holding lids 25, which maybe fed-from the bottom of the magazine 2 against the angle iron lSat the opposite side of the machine.

Mounted on the angle iron adjacentthe dischargemnouth 36 of the machine (see-Fig.- l) is a limit switch 96- having an arm which extends into the path of lids fed through the machine H],- the purpose of this switch being made clear hereinafter.

Operation.

H] is to place this near a lidding machine where multiple boxes are to be lidded. A supply of lids 25 is of course kept in the magazine 24 at all times, these lids comprising a series of four slats 98, two end cleats 99 and a central cleat I00. The cleats 99 are secured to the slats 98 as by staples or nails IUI, while the cleat I00 is secured to the slats 98 by two spaced rows of staples or nails I02.

When the motor H is energized, the disc saw 88 is rotated at a high speed, this saw now being disposed as shown in Fig. 1. In following the sequence of operations of the machine I0, it is necessary to bear in mind that the shafts 41 and 48 rotate twice for each slat processing cycle. This is how it happens that the machine is started and stopped with the saw 88- in its upward position. As the motor starts, the shafts 41 and 48 also start to rotate, this causing the dogs 62 to start feeding a lid 25 from: the lower end of the magazine 24 forwardly across the floor l1. Fig. 8 illustrates the relation of the disc saw 28', the pincer jaws 56, and the lid 25, as the latter is fed out by the operation ofthe machine to where this lid starts to come in contact with the saw 88. Here it is seen that the saw has been lowered by the high portion of cam 16 rotating into position over the roller 82.

Fig. 9 illustrates themanner in which-the first contact between the lid and the saw causes the latter to cut upward-1y into the lid justfar enough to cut in two the foremost slat 98 of the lid. As the feeding" of the lid 25 progresses, however, and the shafts 41 and 48 continue to r0- tate, the high portion of'the cam 16 passes from over the roller 82 allowing the spring 83 to lift the saw 88 upwardly so that the rotation of this saw, as the lid continues to advance, not only cuts throughthesl'ats 98 but alsothrough the central cleat I00: disposed thereover, as-shown in Fig; 10.

The cam 16 allows the saw B'Bto be thus springheld: in it's upwardhiost position until the lid being fed: through the machine has progressed to the position in which it is shown inFi'g. 11. Here the highportion of the cam '16- agai'ndepresses the roller 82 and the saw disc 88- to its originaldownward' position. This action of the saw 88 results in the complete-severing of all the slats 98 at the center of the lid 25 and the production of a slot M5 in the cleat I along the axis of the latter, leaving bridges holding together opposite end-portions of the'lid 25 until the operator of the lidding machine is able to place thelid as an entity in the lidding machine and operate the latter tolid amultiple box therein.

As the lid 25 passes from contact with" the saw 88, the pincer jaws and 56 rotate with the shafts and 48 until they come into juxtaposed relation as shown in Fig. 12. The travel of the lid- 25 issotimed with' the location" of these jaws on the shafts 41 and 48 that these jaws come-together for the second time during the current cycle just when" they are opposite thecentral longitudinalaxis of'th'e' lid 25. The jaws 55 are fixed so as to thus operate'irr the zone of the end cleatsflil -while the'jaws, 561 are located 'to operate in the zone of the central cleat I00. As these jaws come close'together, there fore, as shownin-Fig; 12, they pinch'these'cleats along the longitudinal" central axis of the lid, thereby weakening these cleats andthe' entire lidlalong this axis; Thus,- when the lid 2'5 isdis charged' th' rough the mouth 36 onto the arms 3'! as shown in Fig. 1', this li'd appears as-shown in Fig. 13. In addition to the slats 93 being severed in the middle of the lid and the cleat I536 having a slot Hi5 formed therein, the cleats d and I00 have scorings Hi3 formed in their top and bottom faces along the longitudinal axis of the lid. The lid is thus in condition to be placed in a lidding machine for lidding a multiple box having four separate container units, and nailed to that box. In the lidding operation, where the container units are filled with high packs of fruit and the like, the portions of the slats 98 between the middle cleat I89 and the end cleat-s 93 are arched upwardly and the ends of the lid 25, as well as the middle edges thereof, are pressed downwardly against the opposite ends of the container units in the multiple box.

To complete the lidding operation, nails are driven downwardly through the ends of the lid 25 and through the portions of the cleat IE!!! on opposite sides of the slot I65 into the container unit ends. This arching of the slats 98 and the pressing downwardly of the cleats in the lidding operation tends to split the unsevered portions I06 of the central cleat 00 so that when proper time comes for disassembling the container units of the multiple box, the lid 25 can be readily broken up into four separate lids which remain nailed to the individual container units of the multiple box after these units are separated from each other.

The flushing of the lowermost lid 25 against the angle iron I9 by the flushing lever 92 and spring-pressed arms insures proper alignment of each lid with the saw 88 and the pincer jaws 55 and 55 so as to cause the sawing and pinching of this slat to take place symmetrically with respect to the lid.

The switch 96 is a limit switch which controls the electric circuit to the motor II. The arm thereof extends into the path of lids being processed in the machine I0 so that when such a lid engages the switch arm it shuts off the motor II. There being no brake on the mechanism of this machine, it coasts after the motor is shut off so as to complete the processing of the lid which shuts off the motor until this lid has been completely processed and is fed out onto the supports 31 as shown in Fig. 1.

When stopping in this position, a lid 25 still holds the switch 96 off so that the machine I0 remains idle until the lidder operator is ready for another lid. Upon the operators removing a processed lid 25 from the mouth 36 of the machine I 0, the switch 96 is released from the pressure of this lid and it starts the motor 'II to cause the automatic processing of another lid by this machine and its delivery therefrom in the same manner as heretofore described ready for use.

By way of illustrating the mode of use of the lids 25, a multiple box B is illustrated in Fig. 14 after this box has been over-filled with fruit and then lidded with one of the lids 25. This multiple box includes two separate longitudinal sections I50 which are temporarily bound together by clasps I5! before being packed. Each of the sections I50 has two units I52, each of the latter comprising a complete box in itself, the two units I52 and each of the sections I50 being held together by having common side slats I53. These side slats are scored at I54 so that when each of the sections I50 are separated from each other the separation of the units I52 of each section may be completed by rotating these relative to each other about the axis of the scoring I54. The only slats thus used to bind together the two units of each section are the outer side slats. The bottom slats and inner side slats are both completely severed in the plane at which the units I52 meet.

After a lid 25 has been manufactured by the machin of our invention, it is fed into a suitable lidding machine in which means is provided for pressing the lid downwardly against the upper layer of the fruit packed in the box B so that the lid is bent in the middle as shown in Fig. 14 and each end portion of the lid arches upwardly over the compressed fruit. Nails are then driven by the lidding machine through end portions of the lid 25 into the outer ends of the units I52 and through the portions of the middle cleat I00 of the lid on opposite sides of the slot I05 into the respective inner ends of the box units I52.

The lid 25 thus makes possible the disassembly of the multiple box B into its respective units I52 without the use of other tools than a screwdriver for removing the clasps I5I. The box B is normally intended to remain in the form in which it is shown in Fig. 14 until it reaches the retailer. Here the clasps I5I are removed, after which the sections I50 are rocked about the axis of the scorings IIO which causes the cleats 99 and I00 to break cleanly along the lines of these scorings, thus causing the sections I50 of the multiple box B to be completely separated. The separation of the units I 52 from each other may now be accomplished by rocking the units of each section I50 about the line of scorings I54 of their connecting outer side slats I53. As the unsawed portions I06 of the middle cleat I00 were broken in the bending of the cleat I00 along its central axis as shown in Fig. 14, the lid 25 is entirely divided into 4 separate lids, one for each of the units I52, by the complete separation of the sections I50 as above described. The lid 25 accordingly offers no resistance to the separation of the units in the sections after the latter have been separated from each other. Upon the final disassembly of the box B each of the units I52 is seen to be left with a complete lid comprising one-quarter of the lid 25.

We claim as our invention:

In a machine for treating unitary lids to weaken the same both longitudinally and transversely to prepare said lids for application to multiple boxes, the combination of: magazine means for receiving a store of blank lids, each of such lids having slats joined together by end cleats and a central cleat; means for feeding said lids one at a time from said magazine means along a given path and expelling said lids from said machine; means operating in timed relation with said feed means for weakening each such lid along its longitudinal axis and its lateral axis as said lid moves between said magazine and the point of discharge thereof from said machine; and control means engaged by said lid to stop said machine when said lid has been so processed, said control means starting said machine when said lid is removed.

GLENN E. STILWELL. GERALD C. PAXTON. 

